


Some Things Never Change

by paperxcrowns



Series: Dick and Dami Week 2021 [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: And it sucks, Artist Damian Wayne, Brotherly Bonding, Dick Grayson is Damian Wayne's Parent, Fluff, Gen, Good Parent Dick Grayson, Light Angst, More fluff than angst, No editing we die like jason todd, This is pure fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, as a treat, bruce wayne is emotionally repressed, he's gotta work on that, i love those tags omg, they talk about art, title inspired by the song from frozen 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 13:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30005610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperxcrowns/pseuds/paperxcrowns
Summary: Dick thinks Damian deserves one person to tell him he's proud of him. He knows it's not going to be Bruce, so it might as well be him.prompt: Proud
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne
Series: Dick and Dami Week 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2199357
Comments: 2
Kudos: 125
Collections: Dick Grayson is Damian Wayne's Parent, DickAndDamiWeek2021





	Some Things Never Change

**Author's Note:**

> you guys get fluff. as a treat. and a break from all the angst

Damian only talks when he has something to say. Dick assumed it was from both being raised by assassins and taught to be quiet and unnoticed, before slowly learning that it was just something that was wholly Damian. 

Damian never talked when he came home from school and always ignored questions about his day and what he did in class.

Dick didn’t even bother asking when Damian climbed into the passenger seat of the car and set his bag down at his feet.

Damian only questioned Dick’s presence with a side glance.

“I’m kidnapping you,” Dick said, pulling away from the curb . “You’re spending the weekend with me.” He glanced at Damian. “If that’s okay with you. We just haven’t been able to spend time together since Bruce came back.”

Was brought back, really. From being lost in time. Dick had lost just as much as he had gained. He didn’t mourn the loss of the Batman mantle, just the loss of Robin being his partner. He was glad Bruce let him keep the penthouse, though did greatly miss Alfred and Damian’s constant presence. But Bruce was back and suddenly Dick had so much less responsibility, and their family suddenly felt much less broken and fractured. He even had weekly brunch with Tim and tried to spend more time with him.

Though he didn’t have that luck with Damian. They saw each other on patrol occasionally, but nowadays only saw each other during the day every few days. Damian had school and lived with Bruce and Dick had a job and a life. Dick had missed Damian.

Damian shrugged and looked out the window. “It’s fine, Richard.”

The car fell silent as Dick drove. He turned his blinker on and Damian sat up straight.

“Where are we going?” he asked. “This is neither the way to the Manor or the penthouse.”

Dick shrugged. “Weekend starts Friday afternoon, kiddo,” he said. “Remember that boba place I talked to you about? We’re going there and  _ then _ we’ll go to the penthouse.”

Damian glared at him. “I do not have time to waste.”

“Psh, you’re eleven,” Dick said lightly. “You have time to enjoy yourself.”

The kid needed to get out of the Manor and Dick needed to spend time with him. 

“I have homework,” Damian argued. “Father started training me. I have patrol.”

Dick’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. Better he choked the wheel than Bruce, no matter how much he wanted to. Damian didn’t have to be perfect. Damian couldn’t be perfect. Not the way Bruce wanted. What the kid needed was a goddamn therapist, not to play dress-up with a man who thought the best way to cope with your trauma was to go out and beat up a few criminals and never talk about your feelings. Or tell your kids you love them.

“I’ll let homework and patrol slide,” Dick conceded. “But this is you and me time. We haven’t spent time together in almost three months and I missed you.”

Damian stayed silent. 

“I suppose I missed you, too,” Damian replied. “Certainly not as Batman,” he quickly added. “You were a terrible Batman. But you were a good partner.”

Dick grinned. “I’ll take what I get.”

Dick pulled over into a strip mall.

“Personally, I’ve been craving bubble tea all day,” Dick said, looking around for the boba place. “There’s an ice cream place nearby if you’re not interested.”

Damian drummed his fingers on his thighs thoughtfully. “I do like it. You know that,” he added in an almost mocking tone. “From all those times you’ve taken me.”

Dick parked the car right in front of the shop. “I did, didn’t I?”

Damian scoffed. “You are an idiot.”

Dick grinned at his brother’s glare before slamming the door shut. Damian quickly followed after him and Dick locked the car once he heard the passenger door slam shut. It was a warm April day in Gotham, so the wave of fresh air conditioning that breezed over Dick when he opened the door was a relief. It was a promise that summer would be hot this year as early as May, if Dick were to hazard a guess.

“What flavor do you want?” Dick asked as Damian glared at the bright pink and orange swirls painted on white walls to match with the tables, chairs and counter. 

“Chai,” he replied, lip curling in disdain. “It is so obnoxiously bright.”

Dick shrugged. “Life is boring without a little color.”

Damian stayed back while Dick ordered-- chai for Damian and honeydew for himself-- and observed the people inside the shop. Most were teenagers or college students, Dick estimated, probably just getting out of school. 

When Dick had ordered and paid, he went over to Damian, who was leaning against a wall near the counter.

Dick leaned back against the wall and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “So I’d like to know,” he started, smiling at Damian. “How’s art class going? I haven’t had the time to ask about that in  _ forever.” _

Damian shrugged. “The teacher is teaching techniques I already know.”

Dick raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty cool. What are you relearning right now?”

Damian wrinkled his nose.  _ “Nothing,” _ he said. “We are learning art history. The teacher cannot even call it history when she only talks about artists, forgoing which art periods they lived in.”

Dick shrugged. “Cut her some slack, she’s teaching sixth graders. Not all of them were raised like you.”

Damian huffed. “Clearly.”

Dick refrained from telling him that was a good thing.

“I feel like you’re trying to convince me that you didn’t draw anything these past few months,” he said instead, glancing at the man behind the counter finishing up their drinks.

Damian crossed his arms over his chest. “Drawing is far from the most impressive thing I can do.”

Dick scoffed. Dick wanted to tell Damian that he was far more impressed with his pencil sketches than with his stamina and fighting skill, but Damian wasn’t ready to take that as a compliment yet. Dick had just barely managed to convince him that compliments about his art were a wonderful thing.

“It’s still impressive.”

Dick took the drinks from the counter with a smile and a thanks before handing Damian his. 

“I am working on something,” Damian said. “I have yet to try watercolor, so I thought I would get into it.”

Because Damian had told Dick he’d found it impressive and Dick had bought him a set of watercolor paints and paper for his birthday. It made warmth curl in his chest.

“Will I get to see the project?” he asked. “Or do I have to wait until you finish?”

Damian shook his head. “There is no point in seeing an unfinished project,” he said, stabbing his straw through the cup.

“Except to see the progress they make,” Dick retaliated, pushing the door open and letting Damian step out.

Damian rolled his eyes. “No, Richard,” he said. “You will not see my project until I am done with it.”

“Fine. I’m excited now.”

Dick pulled out his car keys and felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Had he forgotten to tell Bruce he was picking Damian up today? Surely Alfred would pass on Dick’s message that he would be picking Damian up from school instead of him.

Or maybe Bruce wanted to yell at him. That was all they seemed to do when it came to Damian. Just yelling at each other. Dick wanted Bruce to care for his son instead of seeing a former League assassin, but that was apparently too much for Dick to ask.

“How do you feel about pizza and crafts, tonight?” Dick asked Damian instead, ignoring his phone and unlocking the car. “We could stop by Joann or Michael’s. Or Target. They always have good stuff for crafts.”

Damian shrugged noncommittally, pulling the door open and stepping inside the car. That was a yes from Damian. Perfect. 

He sat in the driver’s seat and turned the ignition, relishing in the blast of cool air from the vents. He glanced at Damian who was poking tapioca balls with his straw, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Yes, this was absolutely the face of a very dangerous League assassin, he mentally snapped at Bruce.

“Kiddo,” Dick said, one hand on the steering wheel and the other still holding his own drink.

Damian looked up, straw in hand, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m proud of you,” he said. “In general. Just for being you. And I’m so happy and lucky to have you in my life.”

Damian scowled. “You are being sappy, Richard,” he snapped with a scowl.

Dick smiled and set his cup down inside a cupholder. 

“We have all weekend,” he replied, pulling his seatbelt over his chest. “Time is one thing we have an abundance of.”

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr ](https://blas-ph-emy.tumblr.com/)


End file.
